Tham Chiang Dao, Chiang Dao hot springs and 3 more
Somewhere to go today. These stops are near each other, so the day is mostly spent at them rather than between them. We have not written this one up — the distances are measured and the descriptions come from Wikipedia, and it is offered as a suggestion rather than a guide we have driven.
The day
In order, with the drive between each.
- 1
Ban Mae Mae
A farming hamlet in the Mae Mae valley on the northern side of Doi Chiang Dao, where the road narrows and the forest closes in. It is the quiet side of the mountain: a few guesthouses among the fields, birdsong, and the limestone wall of the peak above.
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wikimedia Commons →Stand-in photo: Doi Luang Chiang Dao, which the village sits beneath · lopsura · CC BY 3.0 93 min · 75 km - 2
Chiang Dao hot springs
Hot mineral water that surfaces in a stream bed a few kilometres from the cave, channelled into simple pools where local people soak in the cool mornings. Basic, cheap and very pleasant after the caves; bring a towel.
Wikipedia →Stand-in photo: Pong Dued hot spring in Mae Taeng, the nearest hot spring with a photograph · Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 28 min · 19 km - 3
Chiang Dao morning market
The district town's fresh market, busiest from first light, with produce from the valley and the highland farms: greens, mushrooms, chillies, and northern sausage and chilli dips for breakfast. It is done by mid-morning.
3:00 – 8:30 AM
Wikipedia →Stand-in photo: a produce stall in Chiang Dao · Andrea Schaffer from Sydney, Austral… · CC BY 2.0 11 min · 6 km - 4
Tham Chiang Dao
A cave temple at the foot of Doi Luang Chiang Dao, begun in 1767. The stairway up to the cave mouth was added in 1887, a hermit named Kantha put a Buddha image inside in 1913, and Khruba Sri Wichai rebuilt much of it in 1934. Lit passages run several hundred metres in.
7:00 AM – 5:00 PMTourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 10 min · 6 km - 5
Wat Tham Pha Plong
Up a long stair in a cleft of limestone above Chiang Dao. At the top is the Grateful Chedi, built by the disciples of Luang Pu Sim Phuttajaro to hold his relics, and a small museum of his belongings.
Open 24 hours
Tourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 3 min · 2 km - ⌂
